Just Shoot Me Now

I was so sick yesterday. Sick enough that I can't remember the last time I felt that horrible. ....Maybe 5 years ago when I had an awful infection and I had to have Marian by C-section, or maybe waaay back when I was a freshman in college and had mono so bad I was in the hospital for 3 days. Or maybe I wasn't THAT sick yesterday. I just felt like it.

Today is better. I don't want to die any more, but I sure as heck am not having a good time. Especially when I realize that the world has not stopped for me and the house is a disaster and toys are everyehere and the sink is full of dishes and the girls are out of clean underwear, and joy-of-joys, so am I.

Not even in the Top 10

Well, Dan called the B-Billet Monitor yesterday. The guy said he had saved the DC spot just for Dan, and was at that very moment writing Dan's name down for that slot. While we had hoped to go to a lot of other places, this was the best offer. sigh.

We are not looking forward to the traffic, the cost of living, finding housing, the possible commute.... heck, I'm not fond of the whole moving thing! We could have orders within the week, and it would be nice to know what his reporting date is so I can start planning out the summer. That part I do like!

We have no idea what Dan will be doing. We assume he will work in the Pentagon, but we don't know! We will probably take a little trip up there during Spring Break to see what we can see. Okay, to look at housing options and get the lay of the land from a "moving-there" perspective, rather than the touristy one we've gone with before.

My wierd kid

This morning Joshua informed me that he had not done well on a math test this week. He was upset about it. He said it was "hard math". I thought, "Is there any other kind?" He is in first grade, and sometimes I can't understand his homework. Sad, but true.

So, back to this morning. Joshua says he wants to practice, so he will be better at his math. I happen to have a few workbooks floating around, and I located the ones that had math in them. Marian was interested in the alphabet ones, so she ran off with those. I pulled out a few pages of fractions and stuff for Joshua and he happily went through them. And asked for more.

Um, who's kid is this?!! He's done about 10 worksheets now and I'm all out of ones that fit his ability level. I'm not sure if I should be disturbed by his focus and interest in learning or jump for joy! This is so Dan's kid!

My cuties!

The kids felt a bit left out, since Delaney has so many pictures up now. So they all sat on the couch and posed for a picture to be put up here. Callie likes to try to be silly, but Marian usually has the corner on that market. I'm actually surprised that she let me take one of her where she wasn't making a funny face. Joshua tries to smile now and ends up with a dreadful fake smile/grimace, so I was just glad he looks cute. Sorry about the red eyes. I'm not diligent enough to fix that before I post! I'm happy enough to get them up.

Quality time with Baby

Its well past Delaney's bedtime and I've already put her down twice. Everyone else is asleep, including Dan, who only got 4 hours of sleep last night standing duty. Delaney is having a hard time sleeping because she has a cold. I have tried suctioning her nose, but its not runny enough to get much, and she still can't breathe. So Iput her down and she wakes up shortly thereafter because she can't suck her thumb and breathe at the same time. Poor thing. Poor me. I was all set to enjoy my quiet solitude, and yet, this is what we are alternating between!

Yes, she just started walking. Tonight was her first time letting go and wandering more than a few steps without great encouragement.

And then there is this second picture.... she's tired, she's canky and she's not feeling so hot. I expect I'll be seeing this face a lot more than I want to tonight!

Getting into Trouble with the YW

For Young Women we had a joint activity tonight which was a photo scavenger hunt. We got 4-5 kids each in a car and drove all over town looking for the things on the list to take pictures of. It was a lot of fun and the girls did enough shrieking and giggling that I can only assume they enjoyed it thoroughly. I will say however, that if one were driving without a liscense and happened to have 4 screaming girls, 3 of whom were crammed onto 2 middle seats and were sans seatbelts, and were speeding a good 15 miles over the limit in a residential area, you would expect that person to get a ticket. You'd be wrong!

Summer Plans

We've been waiting to see where we'll be headed this summer. We had high hopes when the slate first came out- there was a slot in RI, and a couple on Okinawa. Those were our top choices. Then the slate was revamped and those were taken off the board alltogether. Next, Dan was told that due to an overpopulation of lawyers, and the fact that we are at a desirable location (say what?!!), Dan will get crummy choices.

He was given a couple options and none of them were law billets. This stressed him out considerably. His choices included: being a range officer at Camp Pendleton, A recruiter in Kansas, or working on the drill field at Parris Island. If you know Dan, any of those would be a fate worse than death. Any of those probably would have had us staying here for another year and would have ended with him getting out of the Marine Corps.

Fortunately, right now we are penciled in for Washington DC, to work for the Secretary of the Navy. No clue what that job may entail, but it was the best option we had! We should have more concrete info by the end of the month. We hopefully will know stuff like: if we are for sure going to DC, and when we need to be there. Joshua doesn't get out of school till the second week of June, and the Sprint Triathlon will be in May, so any time after that is okay. Except we have the family reunion in CO the end of June. I don't even want to think about the cost of flying a family of 6, and renting a van!! Aack!

Delaney turned 1!

Delaney had her first birthday on Thursday. Yes, she was born on Valentine's Day! And one year ago today we were waiting in the AR Children's Hospital NICU on her. Today she's a robust, healthy girl and the sweetest kid in the world! I so lucked out with her. And, she took her first few steps on Wednesday, the day before her birthday! She's excited about taking a few steps, but hasn't quite made the connection that it can replace walking.

Oh yeah, here are pictures of her little party. She got her own cupcake to demolish and she thought that was pretty fun. She played with it for a while and then was upset because her hands were covered in frosting.
Then it was on to the presents. The older kids were more excited about that part, but Delaney was happy to get into it too. Callie ended up opening most of the gifts, and Delaney ate some paper. Happy Birthday Delaney!

We Survived!

So, Ashley came over to watch the kids (Thank you!!) and I took Callie into Urgent Care. We waited. Then we went into the room and waites less than I expected. The nice doctor and his nice assistant held Callie down and took a crack at the foreign body in her nose. It had been dissolving though, and green goo and tiny pin-head sized silver balls came out, but it was still solid enough that the doctor couldn't get it all out. He aslo wasn't authorized to use the nifty plastic thing to scrape it out. So we had to wait. Here is how Callie spent that time- with juice box and Polly Pocket. You can't see the green goo oozing out her nose along with a little blood. Oh yes, so much fun.

This is the "singy" that the ENT used to scrape green pasty goo and tiny silver balls out of her nose. I got to help hold her down. That fantastic move they teach you in lifeguarding, used to stabalize a possible broken back really came in handy! Of course, he couldn't get it all, since it had further dissolved during the wait. Fortunately Callie sneezed a few times and shot out more green stuff. I have no clue what it was she stuck up there! She said it was a bead that she found on the floor.

We had to wait another 30 minutes to be discharged. Callie enjoyed herself on the spinning chair. She flew back and forth accross the room, giggling like a madman. I was not so entertained.

What's with the nose?!!

You know how things happen and you just sit back and realize it is just so absurd you have to laugh? On Monday Dan was stuck in court, so I had to take all 4 kids to Urgent Care. I couldn't get appointments, so that's where we had to go. It took less than 2 hours for them to tell me that Joshua does not have Strep Throat, and Delaney did not have Pink Eye. Good to know. All things considered, the children were pretty good, but there ARE 4 of them. Dan got home shortly before 7, so I suppose I could have waited (NOT!).

Now Dan is gone to South Carolina for some client for a few days and Callie decided to shove a small object up her nose. I do not know why. None of my other children have had this nose fixation. This is the second time she's done this. Fortunately, last time it was a plastic Barbie shoe that was long enough that I could grab it with tweezers and get it out. This time it is shoved so far up there I am worried the doc may not be able to get it out.

And I did mention that Dan is out of town? Yeah, you are wondering why I am writing this, rather than hanging out in the waiting room right now. There are 3 reasons. First off, Callie cried herself to sleep on the couch (and she's naked- not sure why on that!). Secondly, Delaney is still napping. Thirdly, my babysitter can be here in 15 minutes. All my close-by friends are conveniently not home to ask to watch my kiddies, so I figure not much will change in 30 minutes, and life will be considerably better for everyone if I wait for Ashley to get here.

So, now I will vaccuum the floor and dress Callie and we'll go out for some fun at the Urgent Care. And I will be thinking of Lenette and her similar experience!

Funny Kids!

We had Playgroup on Thursday. The girls loved going to a new park, and Callie especially enjoyed the swings. After a bit at the park, we went to Jessica's house. Marian and Callie has a blast in the long tube they could crawl through. Fun for all! I just like to go gab with other moms!


I think Callie fell out of her bed, but I'm not positive. When I checked on her, this is how I found her! Bum up, sleeping on the floor. So cute!

Delaney just learned to climb onto these sturdy plastic chairs we have. She put her new skill to work last night as I made cookies! She's getting
so big!

My Top 10 Lists!

My top 10 Best Things about the trip (and I could have come up with a LOT more!)
1. Seeing the ruins at Talum and having Nephi and Helaman as our guides.
2. Horseback riding in Roatan
3. 4 course dinners at the “Windows” Restaurant. SO fancy, and I got to try neat new things. It also cracked me up that they would put your napkin in you lap and say “Don’t forget your seatbelt, Madame.”
4. Climbing the ruins at Altun Ha and imagining that Christ could have visited there.
5. Hearing Bruce Porter speak and delving into deeper stuff than I usually do.
6. The Stela rocks and ruins of Quirigua and feeling like I was standing on history.
7. The speedy jungle boat ride.
8. The amazing wooden carvings at Altun Ha
9. Being able to spend time with Mom and Dad
10. The Chocoholic Buffet! And all the other tasty food!


My low-lights list didn’t even have 10 things on it! I couldn't come up with much, and they weren’t even that negative.
1. Bologna sandwiches for lunch at Altun Ha
2. Gaining 10 pounds
3. I never touched the ocean! Not even a toe into the water.
4. Not enough time to do everything we wanted at the ruins…. All of them!
5. It took too many laps to make a mile when running and I hate having to count laps.
6. Dining rooms were too noisy.
7. Sacrament meeting- I’d have liked a more meeting type meeting, and less of a fireside kind. (I’m happy we had one though, so that was actually a highlight as well!)


Fun Details List:1. That was the first time in over 6 years that I went a whole week without changing a diaper!
2. I only had adult conversations with other adults! I never spoke to a child at all for a week!
3. I didn’t see a single tantrum or tear.
4. That was the longest period of time I went without thinking of my children. (No I didn’t go the whole week, but I really did not think about them as much as I thought I would!)
5. I took 175 pictures of the trip.
6. That was the first time in nearly 9 years that I didn’t have to think about anybody but myself. I rediscovered that I CAN get ready- from bed to walking out the door- in 30 minutes!
7. I went a week with no radio, TV shows (they offered 2 movie channels and CNN), telephone, internet or contact with my husband and children.
8. For 7 days I did not drive a car, make a meal, dress anyone else, clean the dishes, or do any laundry. Wow.

Bruce Porter Lecture Notes

Let me preface this by mentioning that this is all MY interpretation of what he said. What he really did say, and what I have written down may not be the same thing! But here is what I heard, and sometimes only vaguely understood from all his meetings:


Mysteries when written in the scriptures means higher ordinances. They called the higher ordinances “mysteries” since they were sacred and not known to all.

The Church is an earthly organization. There is no Church in heaven. The church was not established until AFTER Christ was here and he did not create it- Christ gave the keys to the Priesthood to his apostles, and they organized the Church. When we die, it will be to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Book of Mormon says Faith in Christ and Faith in the Atonement- those are the things we are suppose to have Faith in. Alma 34- We exercise Faith unto Repentance. The faithful are those who are exercising their Faith in the Atonement through Repentance.

Adam had 3 generations on the ground before he got the Gospel. That indicated obedience. He multiplied and replenished the earth, and gave sacrifice “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.” Obedience precedes knowledge and knowledge requires you to be more obedient to get more knowledge…. Line upon line, precept upon precept…

PoGP- Moses 5:8-9 skips something. Moses 6:50-68 really belongs between Moses 5:8-9

Once Adam had 3 generations born, he was given the Gospel and was told to teach his children.

Once Adam taught his children the Gospel, THEN Satan came among them. No gospel, no law, no sin, no Satan.

Cain was the first child born after the Gospel was given to them…. That is why Eve says “Now I have gotten a man child of the Lord” (or some such thing!) Moses 5, D&C 84, Ether 8)

The Beatitudes are celestial blessings. D&C 101:39-40- the Salt of the Earth.

The Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes are the first sermons in the NT and BoM. Christ is establishing the Gospel in these sermons. He is laying down the doctrines.

- - - - -
The Tree of Life and Parable of the Sower: Both put people into 4 different groups. And they are all people who are members of the church. We like to think these refer to non-members, but they do not. The NT and BoM are talking about Members of the church unless it says otherwise. So the people in Lehi’s dream and in the parable of the Sower, both talk about the same 4 groups of church members. Matthew 13:3-8 is the parable of the so. 1Nephi 8 tells of the Tree of Life The 4 groups are:
* 1 Nephi 8:21-23- People pressing forward on the path- those who know the truth and are seeking to know more, but get lost. Matthew 13:19- the sower sows seeds e blown away.
* 1 Nephi 8:24-25, 28- Those who partook of the fruit and held the rod of iron, then were ashamed and fell away. Matthe21- Seeds fell on stony places: cant take root and fall away (when they meet persecution).
* 1 Nephi 8:30Those who caught hold of the rod of iron and partook of the fruit… good people who remained faithful. Matthew 13:23- Faithful, fruitful ground.
* 1 Nephi 8:31-34- Those who went to the spacious building and were lost in darkness or drowned. Matthew 13:22- Seeds that fell in the thorns. People who heard the word and became unfruitful
- - - - - - -

2 things we can become perfect in are repentance and forgiveness. These are 2 things we must do to be righteous.

Anything contrary or not in harmony with the scriptures is merely opinion. Only a prophet can teach contrary to the scriptures, and only then if he says he’s doing it and that it has been revealed from God.

Repentance is the Lord’s process for changing our character.** Changing character means we stop doing what is wrong, and start doing what is right.* Character is changed by our own CHOICE, and AGENCY.

Need to develop the character of God to dwell with God. (This may take eons.)

Satan’s 2 goals are: To destroy the nature of God and to remove the need for the atonement. Most religions believe in the Trinity, which destroys the nature of God, and many believe you are saved just by believing or declaring it; this removes the need for the Atonement.

Before the Fall, Eve was called “Woman”. After the Fall, she became “Eve”, which means “the mother of all living”, because she could now have posterity. (This part was complicated and I didn’t catch it all, but what I think he said was….) It was a patriarchal society, but the mother was the only one who knew for sure who the father was, and who the firstborn is. She is the one who could decide the patriarchy…. Which is why Rebekah could declare that Jacob should be the next in line, rather than Esau. Mom declares the patriarch, and the priesthood confers it.

The Book of Mormon was written for us. It was written for today’s members of the church. We need to liken the scriptures to ourselves. Parables and stories from the BoM represent LDS. The sins of Israel are the sins of Israel.

The book of Genesis is for patriarchs. It is a priesthood manual.


Only Royalty could wear the Quetzal feathers. Quetzal feathers on the serpent represents Christ/Deity. Moses used a Brazen serpent to heal the sick. They were sick from serpent bites, and Moses used a serpent on the cross- look to the serpent and live. Christ and Satan parallel there.

There is only one place in space where the sun and moon are of equal size- where they appear to be equal in size. Eclipses show that that place is Earth. The greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. Sun and moon only seem the same size on Earth, no other point in space.

Pyramids all line up. Angles are important. The sun shines at solstice and lights up certain things. Pyramids represent the 7 steps to get to heaven. The Mayans built them with 7 levels to represent these 7 steps.

Pyramids are sacred places. Sacred places are created, or made. That’s why the pyramids are built around a circular center. In the center is the “primordial mound” or the Naval. It is a sacred place created by design and dedication.

Nephites built; Lamanites did not. Lamanites conquered Nephites and took over their cities, then built on top.

Mayans built on top of structures. Kept building up and on top of. Just built more and built higher. They did that because the city/pyramid/home is built around the sacred/consecrated ground. Usually they built it up every 52 years- either due to generation or kingship rituals. A new king meant a new dynasty, and they would build on top of the old one and start over.

The Mayan calendar ends on 12-21-2012. Speculation over that: is that just as far as they calculated? Or is that when all the calculations come together and the world will end?

Book of Mormon always separates water, baptism, the Holy Ghost and blood. (This was not all clear to me, so this may make no sense!) Baptism of water, fire and of the spirit are 3 separate things. The earth has to go through these 2 baptisms, just like we do. It has been baptized by water and the spirit (which is also called the wind sometimes?), and baptism by fire is all that is left.

Book of Mormon is the record of 3 migrations to America. There could be more than that who were led to the promised land, and we just do not have a record. They are not mentioned in the BoM if so. Mayan ruins are mainly apostate Lamanite civilizations, but could be other groups not mentioned in the BoM. It is a limited record, and there could be more people who were led by God to migrate. Christ said he had other sheep, and that could have referred to others who are not recorded in the BoM.

Scriptures, the prophet’s words (while he was the prophet ans speaking as the prophet), and the words of Joseph Smith are all Gospel. All other writings/words, are opinion. (These are the 3 sources Bruce Porter was told he could use when doing research for the church.)

Coronation is a ceremony to make a person ready to be a king/ready to become Deity. So a coronation is a distorted temple ceremony.

End of my Adventures. PART SIX

Saturday morning I was up early to meet Dad to run. I did an easy 18 laps. Dad did most of them with me. I like running with Dad. It certainly makes it easier to do it. And its more fun to sprint that last half lap when I have an impressible audience. Whoo-hoo for sticking to my running routine!

We had breakfast early. We wanted to try the nice restaurant for breakfast and hadn’t yet done so. It was pretty much the same offerings as the buffet, but you got to order it and they brought it to you. It was quieter though and a nice change. Except Mom was feeling seasick and left after one bite of her cinnamon raison French toast.

At 9:30 we gathered for a Bruce Porter Seminar. I took notes and learned good stuff. I'll post it later. So, Bruce Porter spoke and had such fascinating things to say. I felt like Dave Barry’s description of an ant on a tire- I know I’m standing on something huge, but I have no clue what, past the tiny portion that I can see!

We also had debarking (that word made me laugh.) instructions and everyone got a token drawing prize. I got a little jug of Mexican vanilla. I was happy with that. I had a little time before lunch, and thought about a nap, but I got distracted with reading. That worked well, because Dad called and said Steve wanted to download all our pictures. I went up there and Steve got all our pictures onto his laptop so he could cut disks later for us.

Oh, the reason we didn’t do lunch right after Bruce Porter was they were having a “Chocoholic Buffet” at 2pm and Dad wanted to go hungry. Let me just say “WOW!” A million people were there, but there was sufficient for all. They herded us through pretty quickly too. It was beautiful; there were huge ice sculptures, and then a lot of chocolate sculptures (I recall the dragon and griffin, but there were a lot more.) as well. All the cakes and confections were attractive as well as tasty, with sugar decorations on top and other interesting things. It was beyond impressive. There were 4 very long buffet tables filled with these sculptures and chocolate confections. So cool! We piled our plates high and gorged on tastiness (chocolate covered brownie, mile high mousse dome, chocolate cake, chocolate mousse pie, brownie pudding-like stuff, ice cream…. I passed on the chocolate sushi.) till we wanted to puke, and waddled out of there.

Bruce Porter agreed to one additional lecture at 3pm, but I bailed. My brain was so full and my tummy too, and I was sleepy. So I did go take a little nap, while Mom and Dad were edified some more. When they finished there, Dad called me and we went all over the ship taking pictures. That was so much fun! We did silly poses with everything we could think of. I also did a bunch of “missionary shots” by myself. One of the things we took a picture of was the hand sanitizer. Everywhere you go, they have these automatic hand sanitizers, especially at the restaurants (an when you board the ship!). So we took a few minutes for me to pose and get a shot with it. The funny thing is that after we took the picture, about 3 people around us laughed and said that they either had photographed that too, or had wanted to. We also got pictures of the sun setting. So we had a very good time.

We got Mom and headed up to dinner around 6:30. All that chocolate for lunch hadn’t done any of us any good! We enjoyed dinner though and still got dessert! We took a few more pictures and called it a night. Well, I meant to, but the lure of the internet was too strong. I caved, and spent the $15 to use the internet. I can’t believe I went an entire week without reading email or logging on!

It was the last night, and I had done everything I had wanted to! I had to pack my bags though- remembering to leave out all the clothes and things I would need for Sunday morning. Then I had to put the colored (green) tag on my bags and leave them outside the door. The magic luggage fairy comes in the middle of the night and removes them so they are all organized when you get off the ship in waves, according to your luggage tag color. So I took care of that. Sandra was out till midnight again and I can’t sleep till its all dark and quiet, but it was kind of nice to have an excuse to not go to bed! But I slept pretty well till 5am, when I realized we were docking. I was well awake at 6:30, so I went to the library room to read. I met Mom and Dad for breakfast at 8am and we hung out in their room till 9:30, when our color was called.

It was pretty quick work to get off the ship and find our bags. Then we had to line up and wait for customs. I was very sad I didn’t get any stamps in my passport, so the nice customs man gave me a US stamp. Not as good as one from Honduras or Guatemala, or Belize or Mexico, but at least my passport isn’t totally empty! Mom called our ride and we waited on the curb for 10 minutes. He drove us to the car, which had been bumped while we were gone. A lovely smudged bumper, but most of the mark will buff out, probably. We loaded the car and were on our way! 4 hours later we arrived at Andy and Kera’s, a little after 2pm. I opened the door and Delaney was playing on the steps and she just looked at me. The most suspicious look I’d ever seen. She just stared at me as I picked her up and then she was happy.

We stayed the night there and Monday morning Mom drove Delaney and me to the airport and we flew home- no problems.

Celestial Cooking!

Yes, this is just an aside. I had to take a break from my Cruise adventures and tell you about this amazing website Sharon introduced me to. www.thepioneerwomancooks.com
Amazing! I love this site! She walks you through the recipe and has pictures and is funny too. Its even recipes I would make. You can't beat that!

Also needing to be mentioned is a problem with the computer. I do not know what happened while I was gone, but the computer now has a spacing out problem. You'll probably notice it in my typing. The gosh-darn computer will space out suddenly, while I'm typing, and since I don't type properly (I look at the keys!), I do not notice. I may type a few letters or a sentence or 2 before it comes back and acts like it never left. So in the middle of a word, a whole bunch will be missing. I just want you to know its not ME! And I'm sure we have a virus or something, but I don't know what to do to fix it! Grrrrr.

I'm going to go make something tasty to console myself.

More Adventure- with Nephi! PART FIVE

By the way, this was the day we had fun taking silly pictures, so be warned!

Friday Feb 1, 2008 was the most amazingly coolest day ever! We did have to be ready at 7:30, just in case we docked early. We didn’t. I had been up early and we ate breakfast at 7, so we were ready, but the ship was actually a little late docking in Cozumel, Mexico. There was a big crowd to get out too, and then we milled around a bit, then we walked and walked and walked. It was a fair distance to the ferry. It did seem silly- we arrive on the island of Cozumel, and then take a ferry to the mainland?! That is what we did. We landed in Playa del Carmen, which I think is in Cancun, but I’m not sure. We walked a few blocks to our bus. It seemed like every day we spent more time traveling than at our destination!

Still, that day it was totally worth it! Our tour guide was LDS from an LDS family who did tours of Mayan ruins and gave the Book of Mormon perspective. Nephi was our guide on the trip out. He told us how his grandfather had joined the church and named all his post-baptism children after Book of Mormon people. So Nephi’s Dad was named Helaman, and had followed the tradition. Helaman was the guide for the other half of our group on the second bus. Nephi was so great. He pointed out thing of interest on the 30 minute ride and shared about his life and was just a neat man.

We got to Talum and went in to see the Mayan ruins. We had a short tram ride to get from the gate to the building structures there. Before we went in, Nephi told us that if we had come looking for a testimony, we would not find it here. We had to find it in ourselves first, and then seeing the ruins would en it. The ruins would not give us a testimony though, external sources can’t do that; it has to come from within.

Then we went in, and WOW! It was truly amazing to me. I loved it! Nephi talked about how it related to Book of Mormon times. Talum is actually post- Book of Mormon time period. Nephi explained how these were built after Christ came and went- a few hundred years later. This was a time when the righteous had apostatized and become wicked. He showed pictures that had been made during that time, and they showed white and dark skinned people together. He told us that archeologists can’t explain why there are 2 skin colors, but as LDS know, they are Nephites and Lamanites. The picture he had seemed to show that the Nephites were subservient or slaves to the Lamanites.

He also had some great stuff about how they probably apostatized- After the 200 years of righteousness, the high priests probably became proud. That corresponds with the time when the colors and decorations of the buildings became more brilliant and intricate. So they became proud and worldly. To get around the Lord’s desire for a “broken heart “ the priests began to offer up a literal broken heart- hence the human sacrifices. They also literally partook of flesh and blood.

In Mayan carvings and pictures, the feathered serpent represents Christ. The snake is usually associated with Satan, since that’s what he was in the Garden of Eden. However, when clothes in the Quetzal feathers, it represents Christ flying back into the heavens. So the serpent means a fall to earth (Christ became mortal) and the feathers represent ascention into heaven (Christ’s resurrection)e feathered snake is a depiction of Christ.

When the Spaniards arrived, all they saw was human sacrifices, cannibalism, and worshiping of Satan (since it was a snake). So they thought the Mayans were Satan-worshippers and burned all of their records which is why there is really no records of the Mayan civilization. There was also a thing about red hand prints. The Mayans had a legend of a white god who would heal people with his hands, and they show that with the red handprints. Archeologists explain the red hands by saying it is the architect or artist’s signature.

Nephi also suggested that initially the Mayans may have worshipped one god. Just like we have many different names for Christ and the Lord, they may have had many names for one god. Then it became the god of corn, the god of, rain, the god of crops…. May have become different gods they worshipped, or it may have still been one god with many names.

One other neat thing Nephi said was that when asked why the did what they did by the Spaniards, the Mayan priests said it was because their fathers and father’s fathers had done it. He said that when he was a boy, his friends asked why he went to church and he said it was because his father did. Then he realized that was not good enough, so he studied and prayed and gained his own testimony. Now when people asked, he knew for himself. He bore his testimony so strongly without actually saying all the usual repetitive things, and it was really impressive.
Then we got to explore. Oh, one funny thing- Nephi kept pointing out relatives of his who were conducting other tour- Lehi, Lemuel (“He’s a good Lemuel!”), his sister, Alma, and even his cousin Abinidi! How cool is that?!

Talum is right on the beach and a lot of people were out there in their swim suits. It was darn hot, especially since we were dashing around, trying to see everything. There were a million iguanas out there too. They would perch on the top of the structures like living gargoyle-like decorations. Some were enormous. We saw the structures, but you were not allowed to climb them or really to touch them. It was really amazing. These were more complete than Altun Ha, and were just fantastic. Despite the time crunch, I had a blast trying to come up with new poses for each picture we took. It was a good time, and the Spirit that I felt there was wonderful.

We didn’t have time to check out everything as much as we’d have liked. We didn’t have time to visit the beach either. That was a bummer, but not a huge deal to me. I got lots of fun pictures, so what else did I need?!! We spent our time looking at things, and forfeited shopping time for that. A fair trade, I’d say. We hustled back onto the bus and enjoyed a sack lunch, courtesy of Subway, so we were all happy. Much better than the ill-fated lunch of the day before! Plus, we busted out the chocolate chip cookies we’d brought along, and all was well.

Helaman, father of Nephi, was our guide on the way back. He was as cool as his son. He also had a friend who make replica’s of the ginormous “Tree of Life” rock carving. The nice thing is that there is an explanation of the scene on the back. Naturally I had to purchase one! It is pretty neat, and how cool that the Mayans had a carving depicting Lehi’s Dream!

We got back to the ferry just in time. We HAD to get on the 2pm one, as the following ferry didn’t go till 4pm. The crossing took 30 minutes and the ship was set to leave at 4:30, so we had to get the 2 o’clock one! We did, and arrived in Cozumel at 2:30, which gave us plenty of shopping time. We’d been told that Cozumel had the best shopping. I felt quite mislead. It is true that it had the most prolific shopping, but it was by far the priciest as well. They did have $1 flutes, so I got some for Kera’s kids. I also decided I needed a lovely sheet of fabric that was a swim wrap. It was so pretty, and Mom looked so cute with hers. I also found a carving that I liked. It had been priced at $45 somewhere else, and I got a slightly smaller version for $12 and was happy. I did however use the credit card on that purchase, so I hoped if USAA called Dan that he would say yes, the credit card was out of the country and probably being used by his wife! With that, I spent all the money I had brought and was down to $1.50. The best part is that I still loved everything I had gotten. Rarely do I still like everything later!

We were on the ship 10 minutes before the required time and I ditched Mom and Dad and went to get an ice cream cone. So delicious after such a hot day! I hit the shower next and had some time before I had to get dressed up for dinner. We had decided to get dressed up at least once for dinner, and we were going to the Italian (5 courses!) restaurant for the first time. So I wore a dress, and even put on make up. We had a 6:45 reservation, and Sandra came with us. So we were a party of 6- Mom and Dad, Steve and Kathy and me and Sandra. The food was pretty good… all 5 courses. The desserts were to die for. They had a sinful chocolate cake for dessert, and it was truly sinfully delicious. The waitress was a hoot too. Dad asked if he could have a second one and she said yes. She asked did he want two, one to take back to his room? Dad’s eyes lit up and the waitress said “When you get to your room you will have to confess, because it is so sinful!” It was funny. And Dad did take them both back to his room for later.

After dinner, I changed and went back to meet everyone in the theater. The show was kind of a talent show by the cruise staff. They recruit heavily in foreign countries, so there were a lot of people from other countries. (And every single one of them was so nice and friendly!) The show was mainly cultural dances: 2 from the Philippines (my favorite), an Indian (from India) one, a Polynesian dance, and an Indonesian dance. There was also some singing and a juggling bartender. It was fun and I’m glad I went. The grand finale featured a number of crew members singing, and the captain came in and spoke briefly and introduced some of the important people- like the head chef, who had waxed mustaches!

The Never-Ending Adventure! PART FOUR

Thursday, Jan 31, I didn’t sleep well. I actually never slept well on the ship, and I was awake early each day. Thursday I had lots of time to get ready to meet Mom and Dad for breakfast at 7. We had the buffet. I made myself a yummy croissanwich, but I should have gone easier on the bacon. They had great bacon there!

We met at 8 for the shore excursion, and the boat moored off the coast of Belize. The water is too shallow there, so the boats throw anchor and you have to “tender” on a small boat from the ship to the shore. So we sat in the theater while we waited for them to call off our names to go. The tender boats only held 100 people, and the ride to the shore was a good 20 minutes. We got to shore about 9:30, where we had to gather and wait for the bus. I took advantage of the opportunity to purchase sunglasses, which I badly needed.

The bus was a big tour bus (as were all the ones we rode on), the road however….. It was a one lane road with large, gravel shoulders. So when you encountered oncoming traffic, you didn’t slow down, you merely swerved onto the gravel shoulder, and passed within inches of the other vehicle. It was a hair-raising ride and I’m just thankful I wasn’t in the front to see what we were nearly missing! We bucked, and swayed and jostled for an exciting hour. I couldn’t nap in that! The guide was informative and interesting, and that was good. The driver was great too. He stopped to point out interesting things, like a giant iguana in a tree. We had a couple avid photographers in our group who got pictures of everything, and the guy was sensitive to that.

We stopped at the Mayan ruins of Altun Ha… Or Altuna, if you are Steve! These were way cooler that Quirigua! The guide was good and he talked a bit about the structures and let us climb up them. I think he said they were dated 700-400bc, but I can’t remember. I think they were within the Book of Mormon time period. We were suppose to have an LDS perspective on them, but the second group had Bruce Porter and our guy had gone on a different excursion, so we had no good stuff. That was disappointing, but the place was cool! The site had 2 main plazas and was quite large (although I hear it is small compared to others). I climbed up one of them, but there were a lot of steps and it was so hot. We’d been told that this was a place you wanted to wear long pants and shoes to, so I had. Some others did not, and they did get bug bites, so I felt it was worth it to be a little warmer…. And sweatier, and smellier….

Anyway, the neat thing for me was that this stuff looked like the backgrounds in some of the pictures of Christ visiting the Americas. It was awe inspiring to me to see these giant, pyramid-like structures, and think that Christ could have come here. That when he visited people here, this is the kind of place he came; it looked like this! For me, that was really neat, and I really enjoyed it all.

We even had some time to wander and shop. I enjoyed that very much too! They had the most fantastic wood carvings. They were all hand done, usually by the vendors themselves, and the talent was humbling to me. The things they could do was just amazing and so beautiful. I would have loved to have some of the larger carvings, but how would I lug it home, and where would I put it? They had a lot of different things, and I found a lovely carved shark for Dan. He likes sharks. I didn’t want to pay the $20 or so they were asking, but they wouldn’t go below $13. Mom said I was being ridiculous, and handed me her $3 so I would buy it! It is neat.

We got on the busses and had crappy sack lunches- bologna and Velveeta with wilted lettuce. I think I could have eaten it, but the lettuce did me in. So I ate the chips and the most fantastic banana I’ve ever eaten- local grown. Yum, it was worth it for that banana!

It was an hour drive back to Belize City and it was just as exciting as the way out. Our driver was great enough to drive us by the LDS chapel building there (surrounded by high chain link fence!) and the mission home. He was very good, even if he wasn’t able to give us the LDS lowdown. We got off the bus around 2:30 and we had plenty of time to wander the flea market. It was funny, all the venders would call to me “Hey sweetie, come look over here!” Mom said they called her “Momma” and Kathy was cross that they called her “Grandma!” I finally found some things for the kids: a shirt, a wooden snake, and maracas. We caught a tender back to the ship and were on board about 4ish. I was so hungry, but Mom and Dad wanted to go to the restaurant that didn’t open till 5:30. So I read and relaxed till then. We had the 2 hour, 4 course meal that ended with orange Bavarian cream and a strawberry soufflé. I got both! Can you say YUMMY!

I went back to my room and finished my book. Dad was obsessed with chocolate chip cookies and we had discovered that you could order them from room service. So I did. I got the brownies too, but they were not so tasty. I ate one of each and bagged the rest for the next day.

I want you to know that I had put on sunscreen again, and it did not hold up all day again. I had a red and white stripe on my neck where my bag strap sat. Oops. I had a bit of head ache all day, and surprisingly, it was gone by evening. I wandered up for an evening stroll on the deck. See, in the morning, they come and make your bed and tidy the room. In the evening, they come and turn down the bed and replace towels and stuff. So I had a little time to kill. Oh, they fold your towels in to fun things, and leave mints on your pillow! Talk about pampered!

As an aside here, I had made it a goal to not use the elevator at all. I did get on it once, because Dad made me. It was the huge glass one that you can see all the floors from at the top, and I only rode it for that purpose! Otherwise I ran up and down the stairs. Mom and Dad were 5 flights up, so I ran them a lot! It was odd to be walking, or running and have the ground not be stable. The ship rolled a lot that evening; I think it was extra windy outside. One other thing is that they have mirrors on the wall so you can see yourself as you come down the stairs. I don’t like that! I hope they are “fat” mirrors that make you look bigger than you are. It obviously didn’t help, since I continued to eat every tasty dessert I found!

Grand Adventure.... PART THREE

Well, I told you it was long. Read what you want and skim what you don't!

Wednesday morning I got up at 5:45. Why, you ask? Because of all those delicious things that were padding my waist! I met Dad and we went running and it was great. Maybe not so much for Dad, but I was happy to be the youngest one out there and not the slowest! I had to hurry through the shower to meet Mom and Dad for breakfast at 7:15. Then we had to meet on the 7th deck at 8 with the tour group. The ship docked at Santo Thomas, Guatamala on time and we headed off a little after 8am. The log-jam of people was much less, as we were going to be there from 8-6p. And we were not in a big rush anyway. Since we had a large group, we were split into 2- one group did the river ride first and came back on the bus, while the other took the bus out and returned by the river boat ride. We got on the bus, since Aunt Kathy was running late. It worked out fine, because the bus had to wait for the jungle boat to load up. There were 2 who didn’t fit on the boat and had to come with us on the bus. Kathy had plenty of time to get to the bus before we finally were able to leave at 9.

It was a 90 minute bus ride through Guatamala. We had a guide who pointed out things of interest, but I napped as well, which I appreciated. And I slept well enough on the bus that I drooled, too! While I was awake, I saw farms and fields with cows, jungle and shrubbery, little huts and shacks, and nifty banana farms. It was amazing. I was in Guatamala!

Our destination was the Mayan ruins and Stela of Quirigua. We saw a bunch of the cool, tall carves stones, called Stela (my spelling may be off.). While they were impressive, one would have been enough for me. However, we looked at about 6 of the glyph covered rocks and the guides displayed their impressive knowledge. Again, after 2 I was ready to move on, especially since we didn’t have much time to check out the rest of it. There were fantastic trees, a playing field where they played their winner-gets-to-sacrifice-the-loosers game, and then there were huge stone steps and on the other side of the steps was kind of a foundation and then some rubbly remains of towers and living areas around a large field. I would have liked more time to roam the stuff, but we had to head back to the bus. I did have a little time to shop though, and shop I did! I ended up buying a large, carved wooden mask, which I then had to haul around the rest of the day!

It was a 30 minute drive to the Banan Palm Restaurant, where we had lunch. I had some nice broccili and potatoes; skipped the fish. It was quite tasty and surprisingly filling. After we had lunched- at which place we had met up with the other group, we swapped. They got on our bus, and we took their boats! We got to go for a fantastic jaunt down the river. These boats held about 30 people on bench seats, an they went so fast that the front half of the thing was well out of the water! It was so fast my eyeballs were sucked dry and I had to borrow Mom’s hat to fold down and cut the wind so I could look out. It was breath-taking! Zooming down the river through the jungle sometimes. It was a 2 hour ride, and I loved it. We made 2 stops, well, 3 if you count stopping for gas.

We stopped at a school. We had to hike forever to get to it, but we met a 7th grade class who was studying tourism and agraculture and learnin how to support themselves. We didn’t have enough time to spend with them, and school ended at 4pm, so we headed back to the boat and we continued on. Our next stop was the village (… town?) of Livingston. Our guide gave us a little history lesson that was not as interesting as the alligators they kept in an area in the center of town. I did have some shopping time, and I found a perfect carved bird for Kera. It was so cute!

Unfortunately we were running really behind time. I thought it was only a 5 hour tour, but it was a lot more than that!! We were racing to make it back to the ship. This is when I learned that if you miss the boat, it leaves without you! Aack! We zipped into the dock area at 5:30 on the dot and heaved a sigh of relief. The other group was 10 minutes behind us and they were really sweating it! The ship left at 6pm.

I was so hot and sticky from it all, I washed everything I could reach before we headed to the buffet for dinner. The desserts always look wonderful there, but they never taste as good as they look. I did have to try 2 before I came to that conclusion!

After dinner, I went and sat in the hot tub for a bit with Mom and Dad and Steve and Kathy. That felt pretty good! Then I showered and relaxed till bedtime. I discovered that the sunscreen I had applied in the morning did not last the day and my face was a little toasted. Not uncomfortably so though. It was a very good day, but a rushed and exhausting one!

My Great Adventure Continues! PART TWO

Where was I....? Yes, Monday on the ship. It was an all day at sea day, as we sailed to Honduras. And now I will tell you that I did go to the 2pm lecture. Okay, I mean, I tried! Bruce Porter is brilliant, but nothing was going to keep me awake that sleepy afternoon. I decided to spare myself more embarassment and sleep in my bed in my room, rather than in the conference room. I'll get my notes out on what he said later for you. I got a lovely nap, and felt much better. I met up with Mom and Dad and we nearly blew over th side when we went to the top deck. It wouldn't have been so bad- the ship has strategically located partitions to block the wind- but we went all the way to the front of the ship, where there was nothing to stop the gusts.

We went to the 6pm dinner at the 4 course restaurant. We made friends with a neat couple. hmmm.... it was a husband and wife and their friend, so I guess that's not a couple. The 3 of them were a hoot and made dinner thoroughly enjoyable, and even at 2 hours it didn't seem that long. Ooooh! I had Beef Wellington. And I had Creme Brulee for dessert. They let me have the chocolate mousse cake too, but it was not as tasty as the Creme Brulee!

Despite all the culinary delights, dad still wanted to go try the ice cream bar. Did I go and partake? Yes, I did! Now you know why I gained 10 pounds! Now stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, I was ready for bed. I had thought that I would have more down time to just relax and do nothing, but I didn't have much all day. I read for a bit and when Sandra came in we stayed up late talking. I felt like I was back in college again!

Tuesday I got up at 6. I was wide awake. I'm not sure why we decided to meet for breakfast at 7, but for some reason, we had. We discovered the omlette bar, where the made it in front of you and you picked what you wanted. Yummy! Once overly full (again!) we went to the 7th deck, to the "promanade". That deck circles the ship and 4 laps equals 1.4 miles. So we walked 4. It was nice. The weather was so sunny and warm, with a gorgeous, calm sea and we enjoyed walking and talking. I even made Mom play half a game of Shuffleboard with me, just to get a picture!

Oh, yeah, we got up early because at 10am Bruce Porter was imparting more nuggests of wisdom. I felt like I got one grain of digestable information off the beach of his knowledge. It was incredible. He rattles off scriptures and tidbits off the top of his head and with such familiarity. I felt like I could only grasp and understand a tiny portion of it. I took notes, and I know there was more than I got, but my brain just couldn't wrap around all ofit. It was good stuff though. He wrapped up about 11:15.

Where did we go for lunch? The buffet, of course. As we were finishing and I was topping off with yummy chocolate ice cream (with sauce and sprinkles!), Bruce Porter and his wife came in. Mom and Dad abandoned me and went to visit with im. I bolted back to my room for some quiet time. I got a little nap, and I did finish reading "Bridge to Terabithia". I'd never read it before! It made me cry.

The boat... er... ship, did dock in Roatan, Honduras at 2:30. It was initially suppose to be in a few hours earlier, but it was running short one engine, and therefore moved a little slower, and we got in later. We met on Deck 7 with the LDS Tour group and jumped into the sea of people jockying to get off the ship. Close to 2000 people all trying to get out 2 doors takes a while. They scan your card before you leave so they know who got off the ship.

Once off, we walked up the road to the busses. Since everyone else was going snorkeling, Mom had managed to get us into something more exciting. Mom, Dad, me, and Sandra (my roommate) got our own van and driver and we went off by ourselves. We met up with a man with horses and we got to go for a horseback ride tour! I had a sour dark brown horse, but we were friends after the first little bit, once we came to an agreement. They were suppose to be gaited horses, but my horse would forget that. Then I had to sit deep, urge him on, and hold him in. We go on fine. We rode through the village, and along the beach. So fun! We got to ride through the jungle too. The village was so different from what I see around me evey day. The jungle and beach were so pretty and amazing to see. I mean, I was riding down the beach! I loved it! My legs weren't so happy by the end, but it was worth a slightly sore backside! I sat there on this horse and thought, "I can't believe I am riding a horse in Honduras!" It was so great.

The horses were small and cute. Even Dad was okay on his. It was way better than snorkeling. After the ride we did go to the beach for dinner. That's where we met up with the snorkelers, at a restaurant on the beach. I was excited to have native cuisine, but I'm not sure how native it was. I got the chicken dish (rather than fish!) and it was quite tasty. I've never had rice and beans that tasted so good. We got to watch the sun set over the beach and it was lovely. There was a little native girl selling cute bracelets, so I got 2 for my girls. We had to hurry back to the dock then, and there was a maze of people selling things. Expensive things. There was a very cute chicken toy. The chickens pecked the ground.... it was cute, trust me. And it reminded me of motherhood- sometimes with the kids, I feel like I'm being pecked to death by chickens! So I had to buy it. Actually, I wanted it, but I wasn't going to spend $9 for it. I said $5 was as high as I would go. The lady held at $6. I said too bad, I wasn't going more than $5. The lady in the next stall over said, "I give it to you for $5!" So I did get it. And I love it!

We only had 4 hours in Roatan. Not nearly enough time to do much. We had to be on board 30 minutes before the ship sailed, and we were. I had to show my ID and room key 3 times, and went through the metal detector, so I felt pretty secure after all that. It would be nearly impossible to sneak onboard! After all that fun, we had to go up for dessert.... ice cream and chocolate cake! It was such a fantastic day! I thought that it was going to be the best day of the whole trip. How do you top that?!

The great Adventure Begins!!! PART ONE

Sunday January 28, I was a little teary eyed and sniffly as I left my baby with Kera and drove away. It was a quiet 4 hour drive to New Orleans, and then the instructions became vague and unhelpful. Fortunately, it was Mardi Gras season and we had to stop for a parade. Mom hopped out and asked the nice policeman how to get where we were going.

We still got lost in the maze of roads, but found the right place.... only to discover the parking lot (booked online!) was under construction. Oh, the horrible possibilites! Had we been hoodwinked by an unscrupulous con artist? We drove around and finally found someone who assured us we were okay. We parked and were shuttled to the dock.

Such an enormous sight. 13 stories (decks?) tall and larget than a football field... oh wait. We had to get through the big building first. There wer porters who took our bags as soon as we drove in and all we had to haul around was a small carry on bag. But we had to wait. Wait in a line to get into the building, wait to go through the metal detectors, and more waiting in line to get checked in. At that point, Ino longer needed my passport. I was given a plastic room key that also doubled as my ID and credit card. All ship-board charges would go to my room, and the key was all I needed (well, and another picture ID) to get back on the ship after a shore excursion.


Once on board, you couldn't go to your room till 2pm, and it was not quite 1pm. So we had a lovely leisurely lunch at the 4 course restaurant on the ship. That was neat. I felt a bit underdressed in a T shirt, and the waiters were so elegant and called me "madame", and the food was artistically presented and lovely. At 2 we went to my room to drop off my bag and check it out. I was in room 6032 and I had a window! We went up to room 11025, which was Mom and Dad's room. Then we visited Uncle Steve and Aunt Kathy in room 11008. They sprung for the room with the balcony and said it was worth it.

At 4pm the ship had an emergency drill where you had to practice putting on your life vest and finding your evacuation sopt. And I met my roommate- Sandra, a BYU student from Madagascar. Such a cool girl! I so totally lucked out! So then Mom and Dad and I explored the ship a bit. Oh, the ship was the Norwegian Spirit, by the way. At 6pm we met in the "Windows Restaurant" for dinner. All the LDS tour crowd was suppose to be there, but we didn't know them yet. There were 100 or so in the LDS Tour group. Dinner was a 2 hour, 4 course affair, and I had to hustle to change into church clothes for the 8pm Sacrament service. Just as the meeting was ending, several cell phones went off telling people that the Prophet had died. That was sad.

Monday morning I was up early to run with Dad. We thought about using the treadmill, but so bo-ring! We went ahead and ran on the 12th deck ourdoor track. It took 6 laps to make a mile, and I hate to count! It was fun to run with the roll of the ship. And going one way you had the wind blasting you along, but on the other side it was trying to push you back- lots of fun! We went to the buffet for breakfast and at 10am we met in the conference room for a lecture. Bruce Porter is this guru of ancient texts and Book of Mormon stuff. He was amazing. We also had a meet and greet that was fun. There were a lot of older people there and some of them were a bit long winded, but overall it was fun to learn about them. Even funner was when one couple got up, they mentioned that they been neighbors with another couple who'd already introduced themselves, and that couple jumped up and shrieked "We've been looking for you for years!" It was cute. And another lady discovered that someone in the group had been her German teacher. I love how the world is so small! I took more notes than I meant to with Bruce Porter, but it was such great stuff! No one seemed to want to break for lunch, but we were hungry. Bruce said he would come up with something to teach us and we could meet back at 2.

Did I mention that the buffet has an ice cream bar? I indulged (many times!) and was too tired after lunch. What did I do?!! Did I stay and learn like the self-dubbed "Bruce Porter Groupies"? Or did I slack off and nap while digesting an enormous lunch? Stay tuned for more exciting adventure when I can again keep my eyes open!

(Tell me- do you want it this detailed? More? Less? Pix of what? I took 175 of them!)

I spoke with Nephi!

Yes, I did! That was the name of our tour guide yesterday. But that's another story for another day. My delimma is: should I put all my notes from this trip in a blog, or not? Do you really care about my most fantastic time? I wrote everyday.... longhand. And I have about 25 pages of journal. If I blog it, it will take a lot of space. Of course, I have a ton of pix as well. hee hee hee. Tonight Dad and I went all around the ship looking for fun photo ops. SO much fun! Wait, that's been every day! This was the most fun thing I have ever done! I will definately blog about it later. Its just a matter of, do you want the funn details, or the overall story.

I have had a blast. The ship is fun, the shore excursions have been beyond amazing, and this has been wonderful. I have been very surprised how little I have worried about the kids! Tomorrow I'll see my baby, and it will be Monday evening before I get home.

.... details to come.... eventually!